Improvement in potato-diggers



upon the prongs cc.

UNITED STATES PATENT CFFICE.

WILLIAM H. XVALL, OF ELBRIDGE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF HIS RIGHT TO HARRISON W. GARRISON, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN POTATO-DIGGERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 135,183, dated January .21, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. WALL, of Elbridge, in the county of Onondaga and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improved Combined Potato-Digger and Shovel-Plow; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanyin g drawing forming part of this specification, in which-- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the potatodigger; Fig. 2, a perspective view of the shovel-plow and beam detached; Fig. 3, a perspective view, showing the under side of the plow-beam Fig. 4, a perspective view, showing the under side of the plow; and Fig. 5, a vertical section through the middle of the plow and beam.

Similar letters of reference in the accompanying drawing indicate the same parts.

The object of this invention is to provide for public use a cheap and convenient instrument which can be converted at will into a potato-digger or a double shovel-plow and to this end the invention consists in the construction which I will now proceed to describe.

In the drawing, A 0 represent a beam, or rather a combined beam and standard, made of cast or wrought metal in a form somewhat resembling a chain-hook, and being provided with a clevis of any suitable construction, and with a boss, b, by which to attach or support the wooden handles B B. D is the potatodigging attachment, consisting of two wings, d d, a sharp steel point, (1 and a stout pro- .jection or arm, d extending in rear of the point, the wings being provided with long nearly horizontal prongs e e, and with stout intermediate prongs e c inclined upward and backward at an angle of about forty degrees. The wings 61 extend transversely to the beam, and are beveled from their rear edge down to a sharp front edge, so as to give the blade a gentle inclination that will lift up the potatoes, dirt, vines, &c., and throw them back The prongs c are designed to keepthe vinesofi' of the front end of the prongs 0, so that there will be no difficulty in the separation of the potatoes from the dirt immediately behind the wings, and before they reach the rear end of the longer prongs.

The general shape of the instrument is such that a central ridge, 1', inclines the dirt, &c., outward to either side of the arm d while a slight elevation, r, at the extremity of the wings inclines the dirt from that part of the instrument inward, thus causing. the greater part of it to pass over the wings about midway between the points 1' 1" .on each side. 1 is the plow attachment, consisting of two wings, p p, a sharp steel point, 19 and an arm or projection,1o similar in construction and function to the arm d of the potato-digger. The point p is also very much the same as the point d; but the wings or shovels p are different from those of the digger, being much higher and inclining backward in an easy curve from the dividing line 8 to the extremities t. This part of the instrument also rises much more abruptly from the lower edge 0 to the upper edge, and the latter rises slightly at the center, as shown at 0, while the lower edge is beveled upward from the points y y to the extremities of the wings. The arm 10' is also considerably lower than the point'c, while in the potato-digging attachment the correspondin g arm (1 is higher than any part of the blade or wings. Both the digger and the plow are attached to the standard 0 in precisely the same mannerviz., thefornier by the arm 11 and the latter by the arm 10. Such arms are longitudinally recessed or grooved on their under side, as shown at o, the'standard being cut away at a a to form a rib, c, which matches and fits into said groove when the parts are in place. A stout arm, on, also projects back from both digger and plow blade immediately under the arm d or 11 as the case may be, and, when such blades are attached to the beam,fitsint0acorresponding recess,n, formed in the under surface of the standard 0, as represented in Fig. 3. The parts (1 or f, m, and l are then securely bolted together, and the instrument is ready for use. When the part D is not wanted the plow P can be readily substituted for it.

The points d 1) may be attached to their respective blades in any suitable manner, and the arm m may be cast or formed in onepiece with them, if preferred; the whole point thus constructed being fitted to a suitable recess or bed in the'under side of the blade, and being bolted thereto in such manner as to hold it securely in 'place.

- The form of the part constituting the beam and standard is such as to adapt it either for the plow or the potato-digger; my object in rounding it upward so far along the line i being to afford room for the potato-vines, 850., to move back without choking. The beam and standard may be made of cast or wrought iron. The digging part is to be made of castiron or steel, with the exception of the prongs, which may be made of wrought-iron or steel, and may be cast or bolted onto the front plate.

The points al p are preferably of steel, though cast or wrought metal may be employed, if preferred.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. The combined beam and standard, rounded up, as shown at i z i, and adapted, by the construction of its lower end, for attachment either to the digger D or plow P, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

2. The potato-digger attachment D, consisting of the wings d d, the point al the two sets of prongs e e, arranged as described, and the arms (1 m for securing it to the part A 0, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

WILLIAM H. WALL.

Witnesses:

FRANK D. McGoWAN, H. W. GARRISON. 

